Seasonal Grab & Go Craft Bags

Katharine Drexel Library is handing out Seasonal Grab & Go Craft Bags for school-age kids on select Mondays through the winter, starting November 2. The bags are for children in K-5th grade, and the idea is simple: you pick up a bag at the library and then take it home to put together a holiday craft with the instructions included. It's a good one for a rainy afternoon when you're stuck inside and the kids are restless.

There are three dates to keep on your radar: Monday, November 2; Monday, December 7; and Monday, January 4, all starting at 11 AM. Since they're spread out, you can grab one for each holiday season rather than trying to fit them all into one trip. The bags are free, but they're first-come, first-served and supplies are limited, so if you're planning to go, it's worth getting there early.

If you haven't spent much time there, the Katharine Drexel Library is at 11099 Knights Road, at the corner of Knights and Fairdale Roads in Northeast Philly. The branch opened back in September 1969, when the area was still mostly farmland and open space. It's named for Mary Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to educate African American and Native American children; she was canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on October 1, 2000. The building was renovated in 2000 as part of the library's 'Changing Lives' campaign, and inside you'll find The Reading Bench, a teakwood sculpture by Evelyn Keyser that shows a mother and child reading together.

So, if you've got a kid in K-5th grade who likes to make things, you can swing by on November 2, December 7, or January 4 at 11 AM and pick up a bag. It's free, and you get to do the actual crafting at home on your own time.